A day out in MidLothian

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

My friend and I joined Spice recently (google Spice Scotland, and if anyone suggests I'm Old Spice, they'll get a slap in the puss) and went to our first event today. It was a walk around Roslin Glen, lunch in one of the pubs and then a tour of Roslin Chapel. I'll just post the pics and let them speak for themselves, because I could go on and on and on about how incredible the chapel is. I love how pagan so many of the carvings are. The church was Catholic when it was built (it's Episcopalian now) and to have such pagan carvings in a Catholic church - well, if I had a TARDIS, that's what I'd be investigating. Photography isn't allowed inside the chapel, so you'll just have to visit and see for yourself.

[Ariadne]

Great photos - and you got a gorgeous day for it!

[clarion]

Great photos of great carvings.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Great photos - and you got a gorgeous day for it!

I know, it's been glorious today.

The church was built in the mid 1400s, apparently, and some of the carvings are of plants only found in North America at that time, even though Columbus hadn't been there yet. There are Green Men, carvings of the seven sins and seven virtues, nativity carvings, a Vine of Life all the way round the inside, the Master and Apprentice pillars - it's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I found myself forgetting it was stone, and then every so often going "bloody hell, someone made that out of stone!" It's stunning.